Episode 3 – One Fish & One Phone Call

SD – Hey everyone! I have an awesome surprise for all you awesome viewers! My guest for this episode is possibly the most famous Poptropican of the blogging world! You guessed it, it’s Slanted Fish! Also known as Fishy and owner of the PHB!

*audience applauds hysterically*

SD – Here she is everyone!

Fishy – Salutations!

SD – It’s great to have you! Okay, let’s just get right to the questions. Everyone knows you have the most popular Poptropica Blog. What’s it like to have so many viewers?

Fishy – Thanks for having me! It’s amazing knowing that thousands come to visit the Poptropica Help Blog every day to view our content, and I’m grateful for all the appreciative comments and glad that the blog has been able to help so many players out.

SD – I know the PHB has saved me in the past! What’s it like working with the authors that help you out? How do you choose them to join? It seems that ever author you pick is amazing at what they do.

Fishy – There isn’t that much collaboration between the authors, since mostly we just make a post whenever we have the time to update on what’s happening in Poptropica and no one else has posted yet. I pick people to be authors based on how active they are within the PHB/Poptropica community, friendliness and helpfulness towards others, whether they write well (easier to check out if they have their own blog, although that’s not required). I’m glad you like the PHB authors!

SD – Good to know! If an author doesn’t post in a really long time, do you ever take them off the team? Or, when an author is being very rude or something, how do you politely take them off the blog, without causing anyone’s feelings to get hurt? Has something like that even happened before? For your sake, I hope not.

Fishy – I try to contact them first, but a couple times, authors have been removed when they haven’t posted in a long time. When authors leave, though, it’s usually because they’ve decided to focus on other things outside of Poptropica. In the case of rudeness, you can sort it out by politely contacting them about it, and inform them of your decision to remove them from the blog without being rude about it. That hasn’t really happened on the PHB, though.

SD – Well, I think that’s a great way to handle that. And I’m glad to hear that it hasn’t really happened to you. So, for the viewers who haven’t been viewing the PHB since the beginning, what was it like way back when? You know, when you only had a couple hundred hits?

Fishy – Back when the PHB started, it was just me working on the site under the name “Scary Tomato” (my first Poptropica account, which was actually a boy because I thought boy characters had better customization options – this was before the Costumizer tool became available!). Not long afterwards, I hired two more authors, Smockers (who loved Hippie Harry from RTV Island) and Codien (who did a lot of the PHB’s graphics and even gave us the name ‘Poptropica Help Blog’!) – and for quite some time, it was just us three!

SD – Ah, memories. The good old days. Am I right?

*audience chuckles*

SD – I wish I viewed the PHB back then. It would’ve been cool to watch it grow. Speaking of which, how quickly did it grow? The PHB is viewed by… uh… *SD’s eyes get big* a lot daily! I know it’s hard to advertise your blog with out sounding self absorbed and desperate. So how did people hear about the PHB? When did it become so popular, more and more people started making their own Poptropica blogs?

Intro Voice – For the answer to this question and more, stay tuned! We’ll be right back after this!

Come on down to Queequeg’s Coffeehouse! We have a wide variety of coffee and… free WiFi! Queequeg’s Coffeehouse is where all the best stars come to get their daily cup! Our 2 stores are on Back Lot Island.

Intro Voice – Welcome back to… The Spotted Show!

SD – If you’re just now joining us, I’ve been chatting with the owner of the Poptropica Help Blog… Slanted Fish! I just asked Fishy how the PHB’s viewer amount grew.

Fishy – It was cool watching it grow! It did grow quite quickly, being the first active Poptropica fan-site on the internet before others started their own, so it was easier for people searching for Poptropica help to find our site when we didn’t have to compete with others for views. It’s more important to focus on creating good content than advertising, because if you have original quality content on your site that people would be interested in, views will come. Anyway, after a while – perhaps around 2009 – more Poptropicans created their own fan blogs, and have continued to do so even today, as you have!

SD – I guess the early bird gets the worm. When I first made Adventure Time Pop, I didn’t want to copy all the other Poptropica Blogs. I wanted to be unique and to not just have another pop blog. That’s why I decided to combine my two favorite things! Adventure Time and Poptropica! I know it’s kinda weird and takes extra work, but whatever. 😛 Anyway… that’s great advise; the whole don’t focus on advertising thing. Other than Poptropica, what other interests do you have? And, like most people, are you getting old of Poptropica? A lot of people just get bored of it, which is pretty sad.

Fishy – It’s cool having different interests and making your blog special. As for my other interests, I enjoy art and writing. I recently turned 17, which is already out of Poptropica’s usual age range, but really, the game is for anyone who enjoys it. There’s not much to do once you’ve finished the islands, but I do like to check out the new islands when they come out.

SD – I love art and writing! Reading too. And I love that your still a Poptropican at the age of 17! Most of my friends don’t play Poptropica anymore and I am a few years younger than you. Okay, maybe more than a few, but I’m totally mature for my age. 😆 Do you have any other advice for all those Poptropicans out there that are thinking about starting their own blog?

Fishy – Haha, nice. As for starting a blog, just as with many other things, you get out of it what you put into it. Do it for yourself, not for popularity, because it’s not going to be worthwhile if you’re not into it. Be original; don’t just become another version of an already existing product, but bring something new to the table. Write about something you care about, and have fun with it! 🙂

*audience gently applauds*

SD – That advice is just… awesome. So, is there anything exciting coming up for the PHB? Any behind the scenes info your willing to share?

Fishy – Heh, thanks. Well, the PHB is nearing the big ten million hits milestone (which is pretty amazing to us!) and we might just have a little Poptropica puzzle fun for the readers to celebrate! It’s going to test your awareness of Poptropica’s environments. Keep your eyes peeled on the PHB! 😀

SD – Really? Cool! That sounds similar to the ATP’s Picture Perfect… hmm… If you’re willing to share any sneak peeks, like a secret picture or something, that would be cool too…*cough* Anyway, I just have to know. Do you watch Adventure Time? Do you like it or at least find it interesting? If so, what’s your favorite character, episode, what do you find interesting, etc.?

Fishy – Well, the pictures are kind of the point, so probably not (sorry!). I haven’t watched Adventure Time, although it does seem interesting and some of the characters are pretty cute! I even own a small fluffy Jake the Dog toy with long dangling limbs. 😀

SD – No big deal. My friend has that Jake toy too! You should really watch Adventure Time. It’s my favorite show every. A lot of people think it’s silly and pointless, but it actually has a cool storyline. It takes place in a kind of post-apocalyptic/after-the-end-of-the-world environment.

*SD’s phone rings*

SD – Uh… sorry about this Fishy. Hold on…

??? – Hey SD! It’s Wolfy!

SD – What do you want? I’m in the middle of a show! Probably the best one so far!

SW – I know, I know, sorry. I’m watching right now on TV. Could I ask Fishy a question? Pretty please?!?

SD – Fine, go ahead.

*puts phone on speaker*

SW – Fishy, how can you deal with the blog, school, and just life in general? It must be a lot of stress!

Fishy – Hey, Wolfy! Life is often busy, but I still try to find the time to do what I need/want. I try to check the PHB/PCB every day or so to catch up on comments and news updates, and it certainly helps if another author is able to cover the news first, although that doesn’t always happen. Of course, it’s important to prioritize, so if I’m away on a trip or have more schoolwork or something, then I may not be able to spend as much time on the blog. Still, the PHB is a hobby I like working on, so it’s not too stressful! How’s blogging/school life for you guys?

SW – Thanks for the response! How is it for me? Hmm… I check my email every once in awhile within the day for blog updates, but in between checks, I usually do my homework that I have. Once I’m finished with my work, I start doing things for the blog, such as making pages, posts, etc. Friday is my rest day, which means I only work on my blog and blogs I work on, because blogging is sort of a hobby for me, too. 🙂 Of course, I try to squeeze in Poptropica and things with my family, too. It’s not that stressful for me, either, but it sure is busy! Well, thanks for having me guys! See ya!

*audience gently applauds for Wolfy*

SD – Bye Wolfy! Glad to have you! My life is pretty busy too. I love art and reading and goofing off, so I’m lazy a lot of the time, yet I do a ton of extra work. You know what I mean? Blogging is one of my favorite hobbies too. I guess my life is similar to yours and Wolfy’s busyness wise.Anyway, relating to our busy lives, how do you keep up with all the comments? Do you personally read/monitor each one? Now that would be hard! The PHB gets tons of comments daily!

Fishy – I do try to stay on top of comments as much as I can, about every day or so. I read/skim through most of them just to make sure they’re not spam and to delete those that are, as well as to approve comments that are stuck in moderation. Sometimes a reader might mention something new that’s worth checking out (such as a new ad) or have a question that needs to be answered. The PHB does get a lot of comments, but I do want to make sure the comments section is of good quality for the readers, so it’s important to filter out the off-topic stuff.

SD – Well, looks like we’re running short on time. I think we can all agree that you are an awesome blogger! I had a great time tonight. Anything you’d like to say or ask before we leave, Slanted?

Fishy – Thanks for having me, Spotted! It’s my pleasure. To all the Poptropicans out there, continue to explore, collect, compete, and don’t forget to be awesome. 😀